Blood and Tears
by Katherine Moore
Summary: Part 3 up. Our four 'companions' finally make it out of Tyrannia, and find themselves in the harsh enviroment of the Ice Caves. Caught in a blizzard they seek shelter in a castle made entirely out of ice.
1. Preparations

Blazing sun beating down, scorching the rocks with an intense heat. Sand burned like fire beneath the feet of four travelers, apparently looking for something in the scalding heat of the Tyrannian Plateau. What it could be was not very obvious, not a thing was around but the sun on their backs and the sand they walked on. There wasn't even any plants, but that was probably a good thing since they would be dried out and anything would have a likely chance of setting the whole plateau ablaze in a raging inferno.

The first one, appearing to be the leader of the group, was a bird of sorts. But not your average canary. Long arched spikes jetted from his spine all the way from the base of his tail to the top of his crown. They were pure black etched in a remarkable way against his feathers mustard yellow hue. Long yellow tail feathers, black on the underside, dragged through the dirt, now mattered with burs and caked with mud. He'd obviously been in better shape but none the less, smug smile was plastered on his crooked beak.

"Talon," a large reptilian creature cried, "I think I found it!"

The yellow bird of the type known as pteri looked at the reptile with blazing red eyes. Eyes deep as the sea and crimson as blood. These eyes had seen a lot but the mouth wasn't about to talk that was for sure. Even if someone did want to know they would never ask of his past as the trio following him had asked once but it had pained him to much to speak of it. They knew it could make Talon mad and if looks could kill this little bird would be a murderer.

Long black talons dug into the thin layer of sand above the rocks. Eyes ablaze he puffed up until he was nearly twice his original size. He strutted over to where one of his companions sat and glared at him fiercely so even though the dragon like creature was larger than him he flinched. "Right over there I saw something like what you described."

Sure enough a long thin crack ran through the earth. Most passers wouldn't even notice it and if they did they would think it was just a crack in the earth from a minor earthquake. However to a trained eye they would know this was a man, or in this case saurian made crack. The fact that he hadn't found it and someone else had seemed to make him madder.

"How could a cold blooded, no good reptilian beat my eagle eyes when it came to finding cracks in the sand and rock. Your practically by God blind!" He exclaimed hopping around in his fit of rage.

The young creature he was talking to was a dragon of sorts. Long black mane fell down to his shoulders and fluffed up right above his eyes. His eyes like Talon's were red but not as deep looking and much less threatening. Long strait snout covered his teeth unlike some other draiks giving him a further yet unthreatening appearance. Long ebony horns pierced through the skin on his skull curling backwards ending in a lethal tip. Large purple wings with black insides perched on his back blending in with deep purple scales. His eyes were widened in fear.

"I thought you'd be happy I found it for you." He sniffed, cowering at his feet. Then he worked up his courage to say, "And I'm not blind like I can't see I color blind which means I can easily separate the dark line in the earth from the lightly colored sand around it."

The correction enflamed Talon more even though that seemed a good deal probable. He leaped forward nearly landing on top of the dragon cowering beneath him. His eyes showed the craze of a dozen killers. He looked at that moment that he was about to slice the juvenile draiks throat. He raised one of his crooked black claws in a angry method of jerking it up recklessly, nearly smashing it into the young dragon's chin. "Don't you ever talk back to me so freely!" he snarled.

At this moment another creature not so unlike the first said. "Talon that's enough! Quit threatening the poor kid already, how'd you like it if I waggled my fingers in front of your face every time you say your right and I'm wrong, which seems to be pretty often don't you think?" His eyes glimmered like steel and his lips pulled back into a smirk.

"Whatever Blaze but you'd better teach your brother a good deal of manners when he speaks to," he paused a moment searching for the right word, "Others of higher ranks," he finished.

The older dragon let out a loud snort. "Who made you king?" he retorted. "Just because you walk at the head of the line doesn't make you better than us!" He told the bird angrily. "I give up, this heats to much it makes me cranky." He snarled to Talon. "Open the bloody gate already!"

Long reptilian tail lashed around behind him. Strange frill decorated his neck giving him a triceratops like appearance. Single horn was on his nose. Steely gray eyes gleamed with anger and tension as he stared down at Talon who was much smaller than him.

"You got lucky Dare," he snarled evilly as he walked up to the crack and dug his claws into it. Getting a firm hold and jerked himself upward….nothing happened. He let out a long stream of curses and squawks before attempting it again. He clenched his beak and tried to lift the latch a second time, using his wings for more power, trying with all his might to lift the slab of stone but all in vain.

At this the third and final of the draik brothers made himself present. Most dragons aren't pretty but his two brothers looked quite handsome in comparison. Mutations were obviously present and they made him quite gruesome indeed.

Long fangs erupted from purplish gums, the fangs sharp and lethal, extremely yellow in color almost to the point of them appearing orange. Each a different size and shape made them remotely similar to snowflakes. Only snowflakes are beautiful and the beasts fangs were far from that. They're strange angles and shapes and irregular sizes made it difficult to close his mouth giving him an almost constant sneer, another thing added to his frightful appearance.

Long green body held many a scar and the wings were all but torn to shreds. Large purple colored tongue lashed in and out in a serpentine rhythm as if he were mimicking snakes themselves. Long webbed tail was curled around his legs as he stood stationary in the sun, it's long golden rays silhouetting him. His yellow eyes were bloodshot and the pupils resembled a cat's with their thin slits.

He began to approach the trio, long obsidian claws digging into the sand.

"Taaaaaaaaaalon," he said in a sing song voice, droning on the 'a' because he  
knew he hated it when he did that. "Talon," he said again, golden orbs gleaming impishly. "You're going to hurt yourself with that won't you?" He smirked as Talon's eyes burned with rage.

"Stay out of this Scorch, I can handle it!" He hissed out angrily as he made another desperate attempt to lift the smooth rock but to no avail.

The motherly way he's been treating him seemed to evaporate. "No, you're way too weak to lift that and we both know it." His eyes glimmered and he continued, "Come on weakling let me try that I bet I'd get it on the first try."

"Fine hot stuff, lets just see how you do with this god forsaken stone. Why the heck did Chomp build this thing out here anyways, it's pretty retarded don't you agree? How'd he expect to get any business anyways?" He seethed, giving the ground a good kick but only succeeded in hurting his own foot.

"How should we know he's your friend," said Blaze dully, "Besides it's actually a pretty good idea that he made it all the way out here, his trade is illegal if I remember correctly." He smiled tauntingly, showing a thin line of sharp teeth.

Talon adverted his eyes uncomfortably and said, "Well he'll get us what we need, that's all that matters right?"  
"Whatever, lets just get going already," said Scorch as he bent over the slab of rock. He managed to get a good hold with his mangled claws and began to lift the stone upward.

Being larger and therefore stronger than Talon he managed to lift the giant rock but it was obviously difficult. His teeth were gritted and it was surprising they didn't grind each other to bits. His muscles bunched together in tight knots and he let out a muffled grunt before using the little of his remaining strength to hurl the slab of stone off to the side.  
Panting from the effort but still looking pleased with himself he glanced over to Talon and said, "See, I'm much stronger than you, weakling!" he exclaimed triumphantly. Gesturing toward the revealed hole in the earth he glanced over at Talon. "Ladies first!" he cracked, amusing all but Talon himself.

Eyes seething with a venomous look toward the green dragon he hopped down the hole to find himself looking down a fleet of stairs carved right from the stone. Dare went next, followed by Blaze and Scorch took up the rear, carefully sliding the stone back into place before following the others.

Pitch darkness effulged the group as the last bits of light faded away. They could feel a dirt flooring beneath they're feet as they stepped off the last stair.

"So, uh where do we go?" Said Dare uncertainly, glancing around at the ongoing darkness which surrounded them. Since everything was seen by him in blacks, grays and whites he was used to seeing a lot of black but he didn't like the never ending darkness when he couldn't see his own paw in front of his face, and he could sense the walls were close and the ceiling was low even though he couldn't see of feel it. The sensation scared him and made him feel claustrophobic.

Talon, seeming more annoyed than ever from his spat with Scorch answered with a sneer that was invisible in the darkness. "Ahead moron!" he snickered.

So onward they marched. Their feet and limbs ached, and after awhile they believed the tunnel would never end. All sense of time was lost and minutes seemed to drag on until they felt like hours. Unseen beings scuttled over their feet, most likely spiders and beetles of sorts, who lost their eyesight long ago from living in the dark tunnels for so long. Their tiny footfalls could be made out easily in the deathly quiet. Rocks and dirt they loosened fell to the ground with an impact that sounded nearly like a thunder clap in the silence.

It seemed they'd been walking for hours but they knew it couldn't be since if they had they'd have been quite exhausted. Trudging forward, tails dragging in the dirt and who knows what else, heads drooped, staring at the floor they couldn't see.

Finally Dare lifted his weary head and nearly cried out in joy. Dim line of light could be seen only a few meters away. He jabbed Blaze in the ribs. He nearly got a cuff in the head for it but then Blaze looked up and forget the dull pain in his side. Whispering to the others he began to run toward the line of light. The full light wasn't in view though, as if stone or wood or another solid form was blocking the path of the light.

Sure enough they reached the light and found a solid plank of wood as a door which most likely led into the hideaway of Chomp, the Garrl.

Raising his scaly knuckles Blaze politely knocked on the door. Shadow passed over the doorway, eliminating the little light that had managed to previously seep through. The light returned though, this time vertically and with a single reptilian eye peering out at them.

"Name?" The large, saurian creature demanded, voice a low grumble and eyes narrowing with suspicion.

At this Talon stepped forward to greet his old friend. "Talon it is. Don't you remember Chomp?" He exclaimed, "Oh and this is Blaze and --" The words were pushed back down his throat as the reptile fully opened the door and grasped Talon's wing with immense strength.

"Talon buddy, is that really you?" He questioned, "I haven't seen you in at least five years! What have you been up to this whole time?" He asked. "And who's this?" He said finally noticed the three draiks standing nearby, blinking in the sudden stream of light flooding from Chomp's 'home' if you would call it that.

Having not gotten many visitors in the last while it was obvious he hadn't worried about how his house looked. Litter of an assortment of kinds was piled up around massive piles of clothes, toys, trading cards and whatever else might interest an aging Garrl. The only somewhat uncluttered area appeared to be the kitchen which consisted of a sink, cupboards, a icebox of sorts, an overflowing garbage can and a stove which boasted a pot full of some sort of meat, most likely spoiled meat at that considering the stench it gave off.

"Yes, not much and as I was saying this is Blaze, Dare and Scorch, the draik brothers." He replied answering his questions in order, pausing for a moment in between to glance at each of them in turn so the large garrl would know who he was indicating. He threw a particularly nasty glace towards Scorch, revealing his immense displeasure at having him around.

"I see," he said dryly, wondering if his friendship with Talon had began to fade. "So what brings you all the way out here? Business?" He asked casually, wondering if his buddy had come out here for other reasons other than to see him.

Eyes once again adverted uncomfortably as he looked up to his long lost friend and replied, "Well yeah, you see us four were thinking about entering the war, you know the big one down in Meridel?" He sent a questioning glance towards Chomp.

"Of course I do! They really are making a big deal out of that. You know that when a Garrl living underground hears about it!" He chuckled softly but the sound came out as a loud cough sort of noise.

"True," he said chuckling himself. "It is quite the big deal though, how often does a giant castle appear in the sky?"

"Not very often I'm sure." he grunted, "Still I don't like the looks of it, gives me some mighty bad omens. Which side are you going on anyways?"

Snort escaped him and he help back an insult to throw at him. "I think it's obvious don't you?" He indicated towards his plumage. "Don't look the same as I used to do I? Managed to get a paintbrush and did my own colors. Not going to make so huge journey just to jump in a fancy fountain when I can do a perfectly good job myself. Not too shabby hmm?" He questioned.

"Whatever, what do you need?" He asked. Glancing over to the others he added, "Come into the back room I have to get everything fitted."

"We need the finest armor you have. Sharpest and deadliest weapons around," Said Talon sharply, "Nothing but the best."

"Trust me you aren't the only ones planning to take place in the war. Almost everyone I know or they know about me has came and asked for battle gear, I can give you discounts but it'll still be expensive."

"We aren't asking for charity here, we know you don't give these things out for free!" He snapped. "What kind of moochers do you take us for?"

Startled at the sudden outburst Chomp replied, "Well if you want the best I'm afraid that it may add up to 500,000 nps for everything." He looked down at the ground in an embarrassed way.

"FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND!" Talon exclaimed, eyes slightly bulged he said in a quieter tone, "Not much of a discount if you ask me."

"Actually yeah, it is I've charged almost a 5 million on some of them but usually I ask for around 1,000,000 you know. Uh and also," He looked up beads of sweat clung to his skin, "That price refers to each of you, making the overall price 2,000,000 nps. "

"2,000,000! That's over half our savings! But I guess I have to enter this war wearing nothing but tin and carrying a butter knife to fend off attackers."

"If you insist follow me."

He led them through the immense clutter until they reached a door, a hard, wooden plank about the same as the front door. He took a key out of the small work belt he was carrying and inserted it into a lock on the door. He took off the lock and pushed open the door.

Inside were many strange devices used for measuring and making equipment. The most basic were measuring tapes, hammers, anvils and such but there were other things too. An assortment of scales and oddly shaped metal objects littered small tables. A fire pit in the center burned with the live coals, small flames leaping up as if trying to escape the stone prison which prevented the from escaping and setting fire to the instruments left lying hazardously around.

"Sorry it's so messy, I haven't really gotten around to cleaning it you see," he said, scratching his head, "Just be careful you don't step on anything."

'And that's not a lot to ask?' He thought with amusement, especially careful of where he was going near a large bowl of water used to cool off the weapons after they cooled, not wanting to fall into it.  
The weapons themselves lined the walls, nothing but iron welded to the walls keeping them in place. Beautifully made cuirasses lined the walls, the fanciest on right above where Chomp made his weapons. It was pure gold with a silver trimming along the edges. Rare jewels encrusted everywhere on its golden surface, the light bouncing off it in randomized directions.

Talon stared at it in awe. Chomp caught his glance. "My most prized possession," he said, voice echoing with pride. "The most expensive armor I've ever made."

Talon simply nodded, transfixed by it's beauty then moved on to other things on the wall. Gleaming swords of all kinds were lined up vertically, although some were displayed horizontally as well. Some of the fancier ones had jewels in the hilt but most were made for power rather than show, judging by the way they gleamed and the edges shone like glass.

"Sit," their large reptilian friend instructed, pointing to a stout stool that looked like it belonged in The Golden Doubloon, or something of the likes. "You first Talon."

He took out the measuring tape and wrapped it around his head. He continued onward to the wings, the legs and his stomach. Doing the same for the three draiks.

"Hmm I see. This should take around two weeks for me to finish, maybe three, I'll see what I can do. Come back around then to pick up everything."  
Giving a curt nod, Talon turned around and was on his way.


	2. Scorch's Past

The sun was yet again high in the sky, a monstrous ball of blazing heat, seeming to follow every movement of the friends as they flew upward into the deep blueness of the sky, it's wide horizon seeming to swallow them up.

They flew in a tight formation, Talon in the front, Scorch and Blaze flanking him and the young Dare bringing up the rear. They all wore an aresanal of battle gear and carried weapons, slicing sides letting off a sharp sort of glare in the sunlight.  
Talon's armor was worn on nearly everything except his wings, since that would slow him down too much. He had a silver curiass on his torso, coated in a solution giving it the strength of enamel, as was all the other pieces of armor the group was wearing. Shimmering brass helmet perched on his head, long piece of metal coming down the center of his face to protect his eyes and hollow silver spikes ran down the center of it for his own spikes beneath it. Gleaming gold pieces enclosed his feet and lower legs, serving not only for protection but for attacking as well, as the points where his claws would rest were incredibly sharp and ended in a lethal tip. There was even a bit of metal that could fit over his beak so he could slash and tear at things, of course he hoped it would never come to that since he thought the salty taste of blood would be most unpleasant. His only carried weapon was a sharp dagger, dipped in a solution made from mistletoe so if he were to cut someone with it the cut would bleed for hours on end since mistletoe prevented the blood from properly clotting.

Next came Scorch, his armor was a deep gold, it fit completely over his torso, legs, feet claws and tail. The claws were sharp like Talon's so slashing flesh would be like cutting through butter with a knife. Fine looking helmet was strapped to his head and he looked like he was a fish of sorts since long strips of golden metal jutted out where the fins on the side of his head came out. He held a large sword, finely sharpened edges shimmering as if it was covered in glaze. It also had the mistletoe solution on it, so he was careful when he held it.

To the right of Scorch was his younger brother Blaze. The had much the same armor, golden sheen casually reflecting the sun's UV rays, covering every part of him from the neck down. He wore no helmet on his head though as the spiky frill around his neck was good enough protection for him. Each of his many spikes on his head were fitted into the metal cast of sharpened steel. The main difference that separated him from his companions was that he had a bow and arrows instead of a sword or a dagger. The case on his back held two dozen arrows, dipped in a poisonous solution before being inserted into the carrying case. The arrows were finely made and had feathers of an assortment of birds for appearance and to make is fly straighter. He had been taught how to make the poison so he only needed to buy the arrows.

Dare, youngest of them all was probably the one who knew the least about war. He was very young when the battle of the Lost Desert took place and this had been the first one since then. However, one thing he did know was that this was serious so he was just as heavily armored as the rest of them and had been taught how to use a sword by his brothers as soon as he found out they were going. They'd only had a few weeks to practice so he wasn't very good yet. None the less he held a good sized sword, just like the his brother.

His helmet, like the other two who wore helmets, was unique. He was the only one there with two horns above his head, so his helmet was made to fit them in, the result made him seem fiercer than he felt. His fins on the side of his head were inside the helmet but did not have the special fin moldings on the side like Scorch's. His shaggy onyx mane was left to flow freely, falling over the steel armor covering his neck. His whole body piece was of steel instead of the fancy material the others had but it was still just as protective so that pleased the small draik, although he found the armor quite heavy and it messed up his flying, landing him in the back of the line. Certain parts of the areas that needed less protection were done in the softer material of bronze, like the tips of his horns and his claws. One of the most remarkable things about him was the huge spiky ball attached to the end of his tail. He hated the thought of implanting those dozens of spikes into his foes with a crushing impact, leaving the dead or with shattered legs so they couldn't even walk, and he would have to leave them to suffer.

No, he didn't like the idea of that at all.

His thoughts were interrupted by his eldest brother, "Talon, land here I want to check out some of the critters down at that elephants place!"

"You mean Gon?" He called over his shoulder, looking back at Scorch. "Why should I do anything for you? Besides we're on a tight schedule, we can't made stops for any little thing that pops into your head!"

Scorch stopped in mid-flight, hovering on the spot, causing his youngest brother to nearly crash into him. He uttered a startled squawk that Talon doubted ever a Pteri such as himself could make then braked just before he clipped Scorch in the back of the head with his wing. 

"Maybe I'll just go by myself and you can just go by yourself to this creepy citadel that floats in the sky, doesn't sound too pleasant now does it?" he cackled. "A chicken like you wouldn't like that I take?"

Talon let out a low sound that resembled a growl but birds don't growl now do they? Still it could have been called that and he responded, "Fine, but this better not take long." He turned slowly in midair and began to descend towards the thick jungle's canopy below them. 

Satisfied with Talon's begrudged acceptance he followed, making an occasional clucking noise to prove his point until finally Talon told him to shut up or they wouldn't even go. Scorch decided he wasn't kidding so settled for leering at him when the others weren't looking.

Finally they landed on the relatively soft earth beneath the tree's leaves, at least soft in comparison to the plateau's rocky landscaping. In front of them there was a small building. On it was a thatched roof and it was made of what seemed to be the trees that had been made to create the small clearing where it was built. A slab of rock rested against the side of the hut, incarved in it's surface were 'Tyrannian Petpets' in both Tyrannian and English.

"So this is 'Tyrannian Petpets?'" he said, looking at the rundown building," In my opinion it should be called the 'Critters Cranny,'" he cracked. "Since that's pretty much what it is, now back in Meridel," he started.

Talon glowered at him, "You weren't treated very nicely, and it shows!" He cut him off.

Suddenly Scorch seemed different, his eyes drifted to the ground and he remembered what had happened, back in the land of his birth. The draik trio, as the three brothers sometimes referred to themselves as, hadn't been born in Tyrannia like Talon. They'd been born in Meridel, a different land. Instead of the small huts and caves Talon's people lived in, they had large wooden cabins and the nobles got to live in even grander things, castle's and fortresses. It seemed much fancier than the mere plateau and jungle.

But that sometimes was a drawback. In Tyrannia Scorch knew everyone was equal, and that was how he liked it. The reason he came was because of his treatment he got before he came here. His mother had laid an egg but the draiks weren't welcome. Many untrue rumors had spread about them razing animals for food and destroying crops for no reason. For this the people of Meridel had despised the draiks and even ate their eggs! A draik egg was considered a delicacy and fetched a high price in the food stores and many merchants were looking for the eggs. Many of the new chicks died, resulting in the endangerment of the draik species. His mother had managed to prevent this from happening and only one of the eggs she laid didn't live. But still there were other problems to consider. The main one was the trouble only one of her sons had. Radiation in the atmosphere was beginning to increase, with new factories needed to produce the wide assortment of goods the consumers of Neopia demanded.

This radiation changed the life of Scorch forever.

When he was born he was an average draik in most ways. The only difference was his eyes. It looked like he'd never slept even though he had. His eyes were a deep shade a yellow, the eyes only slits, but this was an average characteristic that many of his species shared, it was the fact that they were consonantly bloodshot that worried his mother.

Eventually other changes took place. His deep red scales turned a puke green, and sagged, as if he were a century old. His wings seemed to tear so easily that finally they were replaced with a more durable, artificial skin, so he could fly properly. His teeth grew in improperly, jutting out like sharp rocks at the bottom of a pit.

He'd became mutated, and he had the factories and their pollution to blame.

He was teased mercilessly, people shouted out rude insults as he passed by, at least when he was small. After his other brothers had hatched he'd grown by a good deal since that was how draiks grew. A lot. Then one day the teasing went too far. An ixi had been tormenting him and he was in a particularly bad mood. No sooner had the cruel words been said Scorch was in front of him, crooked teeth bared, claws extended.

He'd told the frightened creature that this was his last warning and that the next time they said something insulting about his family he would slit his throat on the spot, no matter how many were watching. Just for good measure he body checked him with as much force as he could without seriously injuring him and sent him hurtling into the dust.

The sly creature knew this was what he'd been waiting for. He ran to his father and told him what had happened. Before doing this though he covered his head and flank in a juice from dark red berries and practiced limping. Once he had a convincing act he told him the draik had savagely attacked him and he didn't do a thing to him. He also said that Scorch had told him he would slit his throat in front of anyone watching. This caused a shriek from his mother.

No one took a thought towards the fact he could be lying. There was real cuts and bruises and the berry juice was very realistic. Not to mention no one wanted draiks around to begin with. An order was sent out to the guards to shoot to kill him and a bounty would be given for his body as is this was the hunting of a simple rodent.

When Scorches mother heard of this she knew it wasn't only her eldest son that was in danger but he younger two too. She told them that they couldn't stay here and said they had to flee, to go as far away as possible. They'd asked why she wouldn't come and she'd told them that she was expecting another egg and was in no shape to fly.

Dare, still young had began to cry, he was far from old enough to leave his mother, he didn't even know how to fly yet. He relied on his brothers for everything his mother would normally teach him, and still they didn't know everything that would need to be taught to him.

It was a sad time for the draik trio.

Then they heard about a land called Tyrannia. It was apparently a place where giant saurian creatures roamed. He figured maybe they'd accept him there, so he flew off after finding out it was in the northern region of Neopia.

He flew as far as he could but he had to stop for long periods of time to let his brothers rest. He knew he must be close but then he was faced with the vast sea of Neopia. He knew he couldn't fly across, it was much too wide and he had to care for his younger brothers. He instead snuck upon a large ferry, knowing that it was wrong but also knowing they had to get to Tyrannia. Luckily he wasn't caught but he had to hang around in the shadows to do it and survived only on the small provisions he had packed.

They finally arrived just as they had run out of the last of their provisions. They had no money so for the first few days they begged for food, but the natives knew very little English and seemed to speak only using grunts and snorts by the sound of it. Not to mention the diet consisted of mostly uncooked meat and strange plants.

Talon found them and surprised them by knowing English almost as well as them. He seemed to know he was the only one who could help them out of the streets so he reluctantly let them into his home. He showed them around and told them that they could have a room to themselves but the bed could only hold two so one of them would have to sleep on the floor.

The counters, tables and chairs where made out of stone. So was the bed. 

"I call the floor," Scorch said.

In the end they bought a rug of animal skins for them to sleep on. I was actually quite cozy but there wasn't a lot of room for them to move around without rolling onto the cold floor, but they had a home and they were thankful.  
Many still didn't like Scorch and some even wanted him to leave but Talon stood up for them, even though he didn't want to sometimes.

Now they were voyaging back to their homeland, but not to fight with their fellow neighbors, but to fight against them, siding with Darigan in the fight against Meridel. Many were doing the same but the Meridelians still had a strong force, up to three times as many recruits but their team had the advantage of better trained fighters so in the end it was pretty much a stalemate for them, and it would take good plans and courage for them to beat the other team. Scorch could only hope that Darigan had that.

They were in the small shop know, Scorch's memories had only taken a few seconds to filter through and now he looked at the cages lining the walls. In them were an assortment of strange beasts, one shelf held dinosaur like creatures like the Niptor, others held pets that resembled wooly mammoths. He walked up to a large cage, in it a Niptor dozed on. He knew at once this was the one he wanted.

Because it was like him in so many ways.

The mutations affecting some of the Neopians had taken its toll on the young creature. Long spikes poked up above it's eyes, like rows of little horns. It seemed to have arms a bit to long for it's body, crossed in front of it as it slept, long curved claws giving it a threatening appearance, enhanced by the teeth poking out of his mouth where its lips didn't fully cover them. It's eyes were closed but if they were open he knew they'd be as bloodshot as his own. It had the same purple stripes most of it's kind had but it's skin was a dull mottled gray instead of the deep brown the others had.

It was just what he wanted, something that was probably feeling as rejected as him about all the mutation that made it look the way it did. He told Talon to barter with the shopkeeper for him since he couldn't speak the native tongue.

"What?" He exclaimed, "We made a detour for that!"

"Yes actually," He said giving him a sly grin, revealing his yellowed teeth. "And I guess now that we're here we might as well buy him right?" He asked, cheeky grin plastered on his face.

Grumbling Talon turned towards the elephant called Gon and began to speak in a series of grunts. Gon replied with his own grunts. A neandratholic conversation played out between them which seemed to have an overuse of the word "Ugg" until they settled on a price. Cursing under his breath he pulled a bag of coins out of a bag slung causually over his shoulder and dumped the contents onto the counter. He separated the gold pieces until the larger portion of the pile was set in front of Gon. A very large portion of the pile.

A smile could be barely made out beneath the layers of hair and behind a large trunk as the elephant bent over and pulled a key out of a drawer, which was really just a hollowed out piece of stone inserted into a hole in another large stone. He walked over to the sleeping creatures cage and slid the key into the lock before opening the door and grasping the small reptile in his paws.

Angered at being awakened the saurians eyes narrowed and it's mouth flew agape as it let out a small hiss. It's whip-like tail thrashed around as it tried to escape. It bit into the store-keepers arm but it's teeth sunk harmlessly into his thick fur.

Talon gave looked doubtful as he glanced from the thrashing creature to Scorch. "You know it's not to late to call off the deal, it looks kinda savage doesn't it?" He questioned.

"Come on Talon, your just chicken!" He exclaimed as he took the creature from the elephant. "Awww, isn't it cute!" He exclaimed cradling the not-so-cute creature in his arms. The previously adgitated Niptor seemed to calm down once he was in the elderest Draiks arms, it's eyes sliding half closed giving it a more relaxed appearance, "Awww he likes me!" He said, the sound coming out like a squeal in a motherly, lovey-dovey voice.

Talon let out a rude retching noise as if he was about to vomit on the dirt flooring. "Scorch..." He started.

"Hmm?" He replied.

"You are seriously disturbed," he let out a snicker as they left the store, earning a snort from Scorch. "By the way that little bugger costed us a fortune, it better not die or anything, especially if it's your fault, I'll wring your neck."

"I'm shaking at the knees!" He muttered sarcastically. "Now what should I name you?" he wondered aloud, before listing a bunch of violent names like Shredder or Blood Talon. Each of these names recieved a negative response from the un-named Niptor. Each name recieved a snicker from Talon.

Finally Scorch was pretty mad. "Well what do you think we should name him?" He fumed eyes glaring at him showing his displeasure.

"Her," Talon corrected him, stiffling laughter.

"W-what," stammered Scorch, wondering if he'd misheard.

"Her," Talon repeated, "Oh, I must have forgotten to point out that it's a girl, at least that's what Gon told me."

Scorch stopped walking, sending Dare who was walking behind him almost walking into him for the second time. He just stood there for a moment shell-shocked the he stammered out, "Well that's not a problem, a girl is just as good as a boy right? Now for a name, there's no way I'm calling it something really girly." He paused for a moment before stating a single word, "Karmashi." He repeated it a couple times, letting it roll of the end of his forked tounge.

"I like it!" Stated Dare, a-matter-a-factly.

"No one was asking you!" Talon snorted.

"Well so do I, and it's not girly at all, actually I think it's unisex isn't it?" He asked to no one in particular, although no one answered him.

"I suppouse we'd better get going shouldn't we?" Talon asked, glancing up at the leaves blocking the view of the sky.

Nodding Scorch placed the tiny creature on his back and prepared to take off. The four-some lifted their wings and took off breaking through the thick canopy until they were high and could see the sun setting to the west, leaving the sky for that day. They headed in the other direction however, in the direction of the great crack in the earth that led up to the Ice Caves.


	3. The Snowager

A/N: Yes, I know I haven't updated in ages but I figured no one was leaving any reviews so there wasn't much point if no one was reading it. So if you like the story and want an update leave a review or else no updates for a long while. That being said, let's continue with the story

**Blood and Tears**

Part 3, The Snowager

They arrived at the fissure just before dusk. The large crack went up a long ways, they couldn't even make out any light stating the ice caves. The chasm was only about 5 feet across, although it went on for a long time in the opposite direction. It would be cramped and they'd have to go up one at a time. Jagged rocks cut out, rough edges looking particularily sharp. One false move up there could cripple someone, would the journey be over before it even started?

Dare stepped back, looking frightened. "We have to go up _there!_" he exclaimed.

"Yes," snapped Talon. "And we spent tons on of money getting you ready so there's no way we're leaving you behind, toughen up, we're going up there and that's final."

"Those rocks will tear us to shreds though, are we going to climb up there?" said Blaze, probably talking to himself rather than the others.

"Yeah I don't think we'll be able to fly it's way too cramped," replied Talon. "We'll just climb, it'll take us longer but we'll get there in one piece at least right."

Blaze simply nodded, "Dare you go after Talon so one of us can catch you is you fall alright."

Talon started to go up the fissure and was followed by Dare. The two older draiks brought up the rear. They stumbled rather then climbed in the darkness. The rocks weren't as sharp as the looked but the blunt edges still hurt when they were bumped into, not to mention there was still the occaisional sharp edge. About halfway up the abyss a faint light could be seen overhead and the crack had began to widen out. There was a particular ledge that was just big enough to fit the three draiks. They rested there and Talon perched on a nearby on a pointed rock jutting out of the side.

After they felt refreshed they started climbing again, Dare stumbled once or twice but he always righted himself and carried on at scaling the fissure. The pale light overhead was his goal and he planned to reach it. Finally after several long hours of climbing they reached that destination. They crawled out like insects crawling out from under a rock, blinking like newborns at the sudden brightness. Battered and bruised, not to mention cut up, yet still alive.

"We did it!" Dare exclaimed. He hopped around examining the cold snow beneath his feet. He'd never seen snow before, Terror Mountain was the only place in Neopia that it snowed and this was his first time here. He shoved his snout into it and returned with a mouthful of the stuff. It quickly melted as he swallowed. "What exactly is the ground made of?" He questioned looking around at his three companions.

"It's called snow," stated Talon. He'd lived in Tyrannia his entire life and he'd never seen it either but he'd heard of it and even see pictures. There was all kinds of interesting pictures of Neopians playing in it, building sculptures out of it and even throwing balls of it at each other. He knew it was cold and wet but he'd never touched it and he'd never imagined how true the words were. He shuddered slightly.

"And the ground isn't made of it just covered in layers of it," He corrected him with a smirk. He wasn't exactly a wise owl but he wasn't illiterate either. He was probably the most educated out of all of them, he doubted the others could read or write even. Back at his home in Tyrannia he had a shelf of books. Most of them were on other parts of the world. He'd wanted to travel around the entire world before he died and this war was the perfect opportunity to at least see some of it.

"Where to now?" Asked Scorch without much enthusiasm.

"Ooooh can we go to the Snowager?" yelled Dare enthusiastically.

"Dare," Started Blaze, "You know that's dangerous, we dont' need you getting hurt, there's a huge voyage ahead. We've got to cross the ocean you know."

"Please, I'll be good I promise." He said in a whiney voice.

Blaze raised an eyebrow at his younger sibling. "Fine, but if it's awake we're leaving, we can't risk anything. And we have to be careful alright."

Nodding energetically he ran off towards the northern area of the Ice Caves, where the Snowager dwelled in a cave said to be riddled with treasure but also danger. The ice worm living in the cave gaurded the treasure and was said to be extremely powerful but he occaisionally dozed off and a lucky neopet could snatch a negg or weapon from the slumbering beast.

Bounding through snow up to his chest he plowed through and carved a patch for the others who were less eager to visit a giant snake made entirely out of ice. Blaze and Scorch eyed each other wearily as they trudged along and for once Talon brought up the rear, kicking up piles of snow muttering vulgar phrases under his breath because of the detour.

They reached the cave which seemed much larger up close. It loomed in front of them, daring them to enter. Dare pranced inside as if he was going through the gates to a theme park. The cave's ceiling was a good twenty feet above them. Stacilites clinked together above their heads threatening to fall onto them and stalagmites jutted out of the floor around them. There was a long tunnel that they walked along until it opened out into the main chambre.

And what a site there was to behold.

A small creature, a Feepit, although none of our characters knew this was flattened out against one of the side walls of the cavern. Looming over it was an enourmous snake made entirely out of ice, the Snowager. It's mouth was agape, showing a toothless grin. The small creature cowering beneath it was a fairy type. Although now it's elegant snowflake wings were broken and hanging at awkward angles. It had a soft lilac fur speckled with white but now it was mattered and had several cuts turning the white color red with blood. It was obvious it had decided to play with it's food a little before devouring it.

An eerie hiss escacaped the snow worms mouth as it reared back preparing to deliver the final blow to the helpless creature.

"No!" a cry came from his right. Blaze whipped around just in time to see a silver blur dart past him as Dare charged at the creature. _So much for running away!_ He thought angrily to himself.

Dare recoiled his body and bunched his muscels before leaping onto the creatures back. It was sheer ice and it was almost impossible to get a firm hold. He finally succeeded in digging the metal over his claws into the beasts 'skin' if you would call it that. He beared his fangs and bit into the solid ice the creature was made of but drew back from the chill and pain. (Have you ever bitten into an ice cream cone and it made your teeth hurt because it was so cold? Imagine something around five times worse and the sesation of your teeth breaking. Not too pleasant it it?)

The Snowagers head whipped around to glare at him with it's cold, pupil-less eyes. It swung it's head so the area that would be considered it's neck connected with Dare who was digging into his back with his claws like a mere parisite. He was sent flying into the back wall of the cave and his head connected to the ice coating the solid rock with a dull thwack. His body fell to the ground and he lay there motionless.

His brothers were the next to act, they darted around, flanking the beast on either side before jumping onto its back like Dare, they had a better plan though. They figured it would do the same to them as it had their brother before them. At the last possible moment they would jump off and the beast would slam into itself, at least it would buy them somethimes. That wasn't what happened though.

Instead it shook itself like a dog and sent them flying off in opposite directions as if they were no bigger that particles of dust. They slammed into the ground with an immense impact. They were momentarilay winded but they got to their feet and tried slashing at the beasts solid body. He swung at them with his body and sent them flying through the air. They didn't even bother getting up, they were doomed and they knew it.

Then Talon noticed a torch sitting in a holder on the wall. He remembered something about ice being melted under intense heat. It was his last chance to get out of the cave alive without leaving his friends behind. It was up to him. He grabbed the torch in his claws and flew at the Snowager. The fire connected with it's eye and the creature let out an unearthly wail, the note rising until it was a screech. Steam floated up from the eye as the Snowager turned around and retreated into a hole in the back of the cave.

Talon stared at the hole for a few minutes then when he was convinced that it wasn't coming back he hopped over to Dare and lowered his head to in front of his mouth.

"Is he going to be okay?"

Talon jumped as he turned around to face Scorch who had righted himself and was laying on the snow looking at him. He seemed different, maybe older, probably because of the worried look on his face. "Please, tell be he'll be alright." His voice came out weak and he looked like he had tears in the corner of his eyes.

"He's breathing but he'll wake up with a hell of a headache. I think he's fine but we have to get off all this armor and make sure he doesn't have anything broken or any internal injuries. Just because he looks okay doesn't always mean he is." He sighed softly as he glanced down at the seemingly lifeless form lying at his feet.

"We never should have came to this God forsaken place," he growled under his breath.

Just then the little feepit crawled up to his silent body and dug his face into his shaggy mane. It was a sweet sight and just at that moment Dare awoke. "Argh, my head," he moaned, closing his eyes again.

"Dare stay awake," called Scorch softly as he began to crawl towards his brother as it was still to painful to walk.

He began to lift his head when he realized the furry creature clinging to him. He looked at it a bit startled then he smiled when he realized it was the petpet he had saved.

"Looks like you got yourself a friend there Dare," remarked Scorch with a soft smile. "But are you okay, is anything broken, can you walk?"

"I think so," he said standing up shakily but when he tried to take a step he stumbled and fell. "I'm fine really, it could be worse. This armor was worth every point we paid for it."

"If you say so, still just lean on someone if you have any trouble," he glanced at Talon who was the only one of them who hadn't been injured and recieved an irritated look back.

Blaze had been awake the entire time and limped over to them at that moment. "Come on we should get out of here, he might come back."

They left, Dare leaning on both his brothers for support as he limped towards the exit, stopping on the way to grab a few treasures from the pile in the middle of the room before leaving. It was obvious they deserved it.

It had began to snow while they were in the cave. They kept walking south anyways until they reached a sharp cliff. Under normal circumstances they could have just flown down but with Dare's injury he could barely walk so that wasn't even going to be and option. The cliff seemed to go a long ways in either direction.

"I'm so cold, and tired and hungry," groaned Dare. The snow was coming down faster and they'd probably be caught in a blizzard. The snow wasn't so fun anymore, he was wet from it and small icicles were begining to form on his tail and face. His reptilian body wasn't used to such extreme cold and he was shivering.

The cold was also making him tired and he curled up in the snow and closed his eyes. He was only like that for a couple seconds before he was brutily shaken by Blaze.

"Wake up! You can't sleep out here you'll freeze to death," he snapped at him.

"I'll fly that way and see if there's anywhere where the cliff isn't so steep, maybe we can climb down," suggested Talon.

"Yes, and be quick!" said Blaze.

He took to the air and was almost knocked out of it by the buffeting winds. Once he got control over his own body he started heading to the west and dissapeared into the twirling snow. He returned about five minutes later with good news.

"I found a slope a little ways that way, we won't even have to climb down." He said happily.

Nodding eagerly they headed off in that direction and came across a gental slope although it had barely and room to walk on and they'd have to go down single file. Talon circled over the three draiks head waiting patiently for them to reach the bottom. Several times one of their feet slipped or and rock would give way but they made it to the bottom in one piece.

Once they reached the bottom Scorch pointed towards a giant castle made of ice, it's looming silhouette rising through the blizzard. "I dunno who lives there but it looks a lot cozier in there than it does out here."

They started for it and reached the door. Grasping the knockers which were made out of solid ice Blaze pounded into the door which was answered by a young black kyrii.

"Please can we come in, we're tired and we need someplace to spend the night," Said Blaze to the kyrii.

"Of course, come on in," she said warmly, opening the door wider so they could make their way inside.

They stepped into an area that appeared to be a hall of sorts and stared in awe at the interior of the palace. Nearly everything was made of ice, the floor the ceiling the walls, even most of the furniture was carved from ice.

There was a rug trailing through the main hall and seemed to end at two large icen doors at the far end. The sides were lined with more doors and expensive paintings. A couple end tables carved from ice held red roses glass vases. On each side of them there was large staircases leading up to a second floor.

"Oh my," exclaimed the kyrii, "Your hurt."

They simply grunted and nodded as she led them the the double doors at the end of the hall.

The kyrii was actually quite beautiful. She wore an expensive looking scarlet dress around her slim frame. Her fur was black and soft looking, and her hair hung to her mid-back, a mass of dark ringettes. The most entriging feature was probably her eyes, that were deep crimson.

The doors were opened and they found themselves in a large living room. In the middle of the room was an assortment of carved furniture, it was like walking through a gallery of snow sculptures. A large fireplace burning with live coals took up a portion of the wall to the right. There was a large rug, which is where they laid Dare down.

"Alright Dare, this might hurt a bit but we have to get you out of this armor to see if anythings serious," said Blaze. Dare bit his lip slightly but nodded, knowing it had to be done. As his brother began to pry the helm from his head her swore loudly from the pain.

"Dare, watch your mouth," scolded Blaze, finally succeeding in removing his headgear. 'I'll bet he get's it from that Talon,' he thought scornfully.

Dare rubbed his now exposed head, not only from the pain but to check for any welts or cuts, "Argh, that hurt like hell," he muttered.

"Well stop complaining about it," scoffed Talon, "After all, it's your own pigheadedness that got you into this you know."

"Actually, for once I think I agree with my feathered friend here," agreed Scorch, "what you did was downright reckless. We said we were leaving if he was up and you disobeyed us, you put us all in danger for something that's so hurt already it'll probably just die anyway." He was of course talking of the bloodied feepit, still clinging to Dare's mane.

"Pardon me," said the Kyrii, "But are you talking about the snowager? I remember hearing something coming from the direction of the ice caves earlier, now that I think about it, it could've been the beast itself."

"Damn, those locals back in Tyrannia must've heard that thing," cracked Scorch, "Still, I guess I'd better be paying Talon a bit more respect after he saved all our tails back in the caves. Not that we didn't try or anything," he added.

"You know, maybe we could tell the news people about you," she said, "I'm sure they're looking for a good story, not enough exciting stuff happens around here, last interesting thing happened ages ago."

"Sorry lady, we're held up enough as it is, we don't need any reporters on top of all this crap to slow us down," said Talon.

The kyrii simply nodded understandingly, "Well, I can show you to your rooms if you'd like, I'm sure your exhausted after that, just follow me upstairs."


End file.
